Improved machine for pointing and splitting shoe-pegs



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE REED, OF MARSHFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,494, dated April 5, 1859.

T0 all wwnt it indy con/cern.-

Be it known that I, JESSE REED, of Marshfield, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and 11n-- proved Machine for Pointing and Splitting Shoe-Pegs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through block L, table R, and carriage M, also showing parts beneath; Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6, details to be referred to hereinafter.

In the ordinary process of manufacturing shoe-pegs by machinery the block from which they are made is grooved at intervals equal to the thickness of the peg across the face of the block in two directions at right angles to each other, to forni the points of the pegs. The block is then taken to the splitting-machine, where it is split by a knife descending into the grooves as the block is fed along at intervals beneath it. Then the block has been thus split in one direction it is turned round ninety degrees and is then split in the same manner at right angles to the first series of splits.

In my improved machine the operations of pointing the pegs and of splitting them off from the block are performed simultaneously and by the saine motions of the machine. This feature constitutes the basis of my present invention, which also consists in certain de tails which will now be particularly set forth.

In the drawings, A is the bed of t-he inachine, from which rise two stout posts B and C, in suitable bearings near the top of which is supported the shaft D, to which power 1s applied by the crank E, or in any suitable manner. Another shorter post F rises from the bed between the posts B and C. A shaft carrying two drums G and H has its bearings in the posts F and C, and a shaft I. has its bearings in the posts B and F. This latter shaft is vibrated at intervals by a cam a on the shaft D, which bears against a bar b rising from the shaft I. Two heavy frames K and L rise from the bed A and extend across the machine. These serve as supports for the carriage M, which carries the block to be split.

Alongside of the frame L two posts N rise from the bed A, and alongside of the frame R two other posts O. These posts stand in pairs. A long bar P (detached in Fig. 4) plays back and forth horizontally over and across the carriage M. It is supported between the pair of posts N, and also between the pair O. A rib c, running longitudinally on each side of the bar P, plays in corresponding grooves in the inner face of ecch of these posts. The vibrations of this bar are given to it in the following manner: To a short stud d, rising from the bar, is pivoted one end of a connecting-rod Q, the other end of which is attached by a strap to a crank f on the shaft D. This bar Pcarries the irons which groove and split the block. The grooving-iron e (similar to a narrow plane-iron) has its lower end beveled off to cut the groove of the required form. It is placed in an inclined slot passing through the bar P, and its cutting-edge descends a short distance below the lower edge of the bar. Immediately behind this iron in the same slot-is placed another iron g, the lower end of which projects rather more below the bar than does the iron c and has its cuttingedge much thinner for the purpose of splitting the block. Both of these irons are secured in place in the bar by means of the wedge h, driven in front of the iron e, as in an ordinary hand-plane.

The carriage M slides back and forth longitudinally in deep grooves t', cut in the inner face of each of the frames K and L. y It carries a revolving table R, which is pivoted in the center to the carriage M. To this table is attached in any convenient manner the block S to be grooved and split. (The block is a transverse section of a log of Wood, its thickness being equal to the length of the pegs.) A spring Z (seen dotted in Fig. l and in section, Fig. 2) is coiled in a recess in the under surface of this table and tends to revolve the table in the direction of its arrow. A broad metal spring 7a is secured at2 to the carriage M. It is turned up at one end to form a catch 3, and has attached to it near its middle at 4, a dog m, which is bent over the edge of the frame K, so that as the carriage M is moved along` in the direction of its arrow the dog mv passes'under a stop n, attached to one of the posts O, and depresses the spring lc into a recess 5 cut in this carriage and sets free a pin 0, which projects from the edge of the table R, and which has been retained by the catch 3. This allows the spring Zto revolve the table in the direction of its .arrow until the pin 0 strikes a stop p on the carriage M, which is so placed as to allow the carriage to revolve ninety degrees.

The manner in which the carriage M is fed back and forth and the block S is held stationary While the critters e and g are performing their operations will now beadescribed. Two stout blocks T T rise from the bed A, one near each side of the machine, and carry in suitable bearings two screw-shafts U and V, (seen in section, Fig. 2,) which lie parallel to each other and carry at one end the gears q r, engaging with each otherx The screw-shaftV carries at the end opposite to the gear r a pulley W, Fig. 2, from which a band s is led over the drum H, while another band t is lcd over the drum G and over a drum on the shaft D above it. This drives the screw-shafts in the direction of the arrows on their respective gears. The screws on these two shafts are both cut alike, but revolve in opposite directions. A block X, (Fig. 2, and turned upside down in Fig. 6,) which has a female screw or half-nut cut on each side of it at 5, is suspended by a short arm u from a shaft e, which has its bearings on the under side of the carriage M, so that the block X hangs down from the carriage M between the screw-shafts U and V and vibrates from one to the other as it is brought into contact and engages with them alternately vin the following manner: A rock-shaft Y, lying parallel to the bed A, passes through and turns in the two blocks T T. A hand-lever Z is attached to one end of the shaft, which also carries a feather or blade w, Fig. 2, attached to the shaft longitudinally between the two y blocks T T. It rises from the shaft in a plane, passing longitudinally through the middle of the lever Z, and its edge enters a notch 6 in the lower side of the block X, so that as the shaft Y is vibrated by means of the lever Z, the block X may be caused to engage with either of the screwsU or V, or be held in a position intermediate between and out of contact with either of them.

In Fig. 6 isshown a view of the underside of the carriage M, (the carriage turned upside down.) The shaft o which carries the block X is turned down at each end for a short distance where it rests in its bearings a2, forming near each end a shoulder 17 ,which allows the shaft a slight play longitudinally. It is' ot' such a length that its ends come flush with the outer side of each bearing. When the shaft is at rest, it is held in this position by a spring fr, which is secured at b2 to the carriage M and pressesy against each end of the shaftr, (or a spring at each end maybe employed.) This arrangement allows they block to be moved along in either direction by the screw U or V for a short distance, while the carriage M is held stationary, the spring oc at such time yielding to the end pressure of the shaft r1; but so soon as the restraint is taken off from the carriage the reaction of the spring will cause the carriage to jump along just so far as the 'block X has been moved by the screw U or V during the time the carriage was at rest, and the loss of time caused by the intermittent feed vof the carriage M will be scarcely appreciable. A catch A2, Figs. 1 and 3, is pivoted at its ends at 7 to the inner face of each of the frames K and L. It has in its edge three notches 8, 9, and l0 to receive and hold thelever Z. A rod ct', Fig. 3, connects vthe catch A2 to a lever' B2, which is pivoted to and rises from a standard b', attached to the bed A j ust within the frame L. A spring c', secured at ll to the bed presses up against the bent portion CZ of the lever B2 and holds the catch A2 in contact with the hand-lever Z. `A rod e connects this lever to a spring C2, secured at its other end to one of the posts N, so that when the lever is freed from the catch A2 it is drawn over by the spring in the direction of its arrow, Fig. l. A dog f attached to the end of the carriage M on one side comes in contact with the upper end of the lever B2 when the carriage has been fed along a sufficient distance in the direction of its arrow, and draws back the catch A2 from the lever Z, and allows the spring C2 to draw this lever over toward the frame L. The screwV (detached in Fig. 5) is turned down at one end at 1G for a small portion of its length next to the gear fr, so that when the block X,engaging with this screw, has fed the carriage M a sufficient distance in this direction the block will run out from the thread of the screw onto the blank 16 and cease to feed the carriage along. This prevents accident to the machine in case the attendant neglects to stop it in time. The clamps for arresting the. feed of the carriage M for an instant at intervals and for holding the block S while the irons e and g are grooving and splitting it consist of two bars vor holders D2, which play up and down between f the posts O O an'd N N, one on each side of the path of the cutters e g. The edges which come in contact with the block S are fur# nished with teeth to hold the block. These bars are pivoted at one end,at l2, to a stud g rising from the shaft I, which, as before described, is vibrated by the cam a on the shaft D.

This cam is so formed and adjustedontheshatt D that the holders D2 shall keep the block S stationary, while the bar P is being pushed across the block to groove and split it and is drawn back again in .the saine path, when im',- mediately before the bar .P begins to be pushed forward again the holders D2 are raised by the cam asufciently long for the carriage M to be fed along (by the action of the sprin g a3) a distance equal to the thickness of a peg. The

holders D2 are then drawn down by springs E2, attached at 13 to the bed A, one on each side of the machine, the end of each spring being connected to one of the holders by a rod 14. These holders D2, besides arresting the movements of the carriage M, serve to hold the block S together after it has been split in one direction and prevent it from being pushed apart or upset by the grooving and splitting irons when they are making the second series of grooves and splits. As the band s over the pulley W, Fig. 2, is driven continuously in the direction of its arrow, (while the machine is in operation,) the carriage M is fed along in one direction or the other, according as the block X is engaged with the screw V or the screw U; but whenever the holders D2 are brought down by the springs E2 onto the block S the movement of the carriage M is arrested and the block X is fed along by the lscrew, the shaft i; pressing back the spring a: until the holders D2 are raised by the cam a, when the carriage M is again moved a short distance by the reaction of the spring These intermittent movements of the carriage are regulated (by the cam ct) to be equal to the required thickness of the pegs, so that the grooves and splits made in the block S will be the proper distance apart. Vhen the leverZ is in the notch 9 of the catch A2, the carriage M may be moved back and forth in its grooves without the block X engaging with either of the screws U or V.

The operation of this machine is as follows: The block S, from which the pegs are to be made, is secured in any suitable manner, as by clamping it to the table R,which is placed in the position shown in Fig. l, with the pin 0 behind the catch 3. The hand-lever Z is placed in the notch 8 of the catch A2. This causes the block X to engage with the screw U, as in Fig. 2. The shaft D now being revolved in the direction of the arrow on its drum, the carriage M will be fed along in the direction of its arrow whenever the holders .D2 are raised up off the block S, on which they rest. This is done by the cam a, which lifts the clamps for an instant at each revolution of the shaft D. wWhile the holders D2 are down on the block S and are holding it steady and preventing the movement of the carriage M, the bar P is pushed across the surface of the block, the iron e plows out a groove, and the splittingtool g follows in its path and splits through the block. As soon as the bar P has been drawn back again and before it commences another stroke, the cam d lifts the holders D2 and the carriage M is thrown forward a short distance (equal to the required thickness of the pegs) by the spring no, when the holders again drop and arrest it, and the bar P goes forward to make another groove andsplitparalleltotheformerone. This operation is continued until the block S has been grooved and split in one direction, by which time the carriage M will have arrived in such a position that the dog m shall come in contact with the stop n, and the ypin o shall be set free from the catch 3 on the spring 7c, allowing the coiled springt to revolve the table R ninety degrees. At the same time the dog f', Fig. 3, strikes the lever B2 and dra-ws back the catch A2. This allows the spring G2 to draw the lever Z over into the notch l0 and engage the block X with the screw V, when the carriage M will commence its movements in the opposite direction, and the block S will be grooved and split during its return in the same manner as before, the cuts being made at right angles to the first series. After the screw V has fed the carriage M along sufficiently far to complete the grooving and splitting, the block X runs out from the thread of this screw onto the portion 1G of its shaft,which is turned down and the feed of the carriage ceases. The block S may now be removed and another one be placed on the table R in its stead. It will thus be seen that the grooving and splitting of the block in both directions is performed at one continuous operation.

One attendant will be able to manage several of these machines, as after the block to be split is adjusted and the machine set in motion it will complete the operation automatically. The feed of the carriage will cease after the block is split up, and no harm will happen to the machine if he neglects to stop it as soon as the splitting is completed.

he reversal of the feed of the carriage M by shifting the lever Z over to notch 10, and also the revolving of the table R for ninety degrees may be performed by hand instead of automatically; but I do not consider it so good a plan, nor would this be so perfect a machine without the devices for making these changes.

The holder D2, which is in advance as the carriage is returning, may be held up out of the way to prevent it from breaking or bruising the points of the finished pegs, as they will not require to be held together, and one holder will be sufficient to arrest the carriage.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A traversing carriage M, in combination with a revolving table R, so arranged that after a series of cuts has been made in one direction, the table may be revolved ninety degrees preparatory to making the second series of cuts.

2. The device for traversing and returning the carriage, consisting of the following parts or their substantial equivalents in combination, viz: the screw-shafts U and V, the block X, the lever Z with its spring C2, and tripping arrangement f B2 A2, the whole operating in the manner substantially as herein set forth.

3. The device for automatically revolving the table R, consisting of the spring l and the parts m, n, 0,19, and k, ortheir equivalents, operating as described..

4L. The grooving and splitting irons e and g, traversing the block, as set forth, in Oombination with the holders D201l their equivalents, Operating in the manner substantially as herein described.

5. Feeding the block S by means of the continuous revolution Of a screw operating through a spring Qc, as described, sO that when JESSE REED.

lVtnesses:

JOHN FORD, WELTHEA L. FORD. 

